Why does my 3-month-old puppy keep biting and jumping on me?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 3 months and 3 days old | 20 lbs
My girlfriend's dog keeps nipping/biting and jumping on me. I'm not around but maybe 4 times a month and the dog is only 13 weeks old. She's a sheepadoodle. Any reason it's like this with me?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on March 23rd, 2017
This can be frustrating, but is normal exploratory behavior at 13 weeks old. Like small children, puppies put everything in their mouths (hands included) as a means of exploration. Blesszuri is also beginning to teethe and can be expected to start losing her puppy teeth around 16 weeks of age. That said, she should not have a free pass to display this behavior just because she is exploring and teething. Whenever she bites or jumps on you, put an appropriate chew toy in her mouth, walk away and ignore her for a few minutes. When she interacts with you appropriately, praise her positive behavior with play time, belly rubs, or even a small treat. It can take a long time and a lot of consistency, but eventually Blesszuri will understand that she only receives attention and praise when she exhibits positive behaviors and interactions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on July 31st, 2018
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You are right she is absolutely adorable! You are likely describing teething which is basically a normal type of behavior when puppies are growing up and it is secondary to mouth discomfort as teeth are growing. I recommend that you get Moana teething type toys which you can get at your local pet store or online. Anytime that she tries to nibble at you, you say no and give her the toy. This is likely going to resolve the issue. Good luck and have a great day!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Hey my dog will not stop biting/jumping on people. He is only three months old but his teeth are sharp. He bites hands/feet/calves: boots what can I do to get him to stop. People come to my house all the time, and don't like that he does this. He wil
This is very normal behavior for a puppy this age - jumping up is a natural greeting behavior for dogs, and biting and mouthing are how puppies explore the world. You will need to be patient and consistent to teach him what you want him to do. When people come to the house, he needs to be on a leash or in another room behind a baby gate until he calms down. Praise and reward with treats when he keeps all four feet on the floor, or teach him to sit for greetings. Make sure that he has a variety of different toys to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. Providing lots of things to chew on can also help, especially when you are busy or have company over - try things like bully sticks, cow or pig ears, rawhide chews, and puzzle toys like a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. If these things don't help, I would recommend getting in touch with
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
i have an 11 week old beagle hound mix that is constantly jumping and biting on my 2 yr old daughter is this normal and she also comes up to you and bites for almost no reason
Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! Puppies are generally quite playful and the behavior you are seeing is typical in puppies. Many times puppies tend to grow out of this. To start, I would keep a harness on her so that when she jumps you can correct this behavior and control her better. As for the biting, a trick of mine that works great is when a puppy is biting, stick your thumb underneath the tongue inside the mouth and grip the underside of the lower jaw while applying light pressure under the tongue to keep your thumb in the mouth until she becomes annoyed with this. Every time she bites, repeat this. At first, it will seem like a game to her but after a while, this becomes negative reinforcement. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns you may have.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My puppy will never let me just pet him unless he's asleep he always wants to bite my hand, & he always tries to hump my arm, only me. No one else
I see that Bailey is still very young, about three months old :) This is very normal behavior for a puppy this age - they want to put their mouth on everything and would rather bite than be held or petted. This is how they explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. Humping is also a common attention-seeking behavior in young puppies, or can be a sign of over-excitement or frustration. The good news is, these issues will improve on their own as he gets older; it's a normal developmental stage for puppies, just like toddlers who grab everything with their hands and may not always want to be hugged or held. At this age, you may only be able to pet him or cuddle with him when he's sleepy - this is okay. If he bites your hands, just stop petting and ignore him until he calms down, or grab one of his toys and use that to engage him in play. Most dogs are no longer mouthing nearly as much by the time they are 8-12 months old, so hang in there - just be patient and consisten
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have recently vaccinated 2months old puppy he became more active than before and started biting our hands,legs and clothes is this a common thing or something else.Sholud i make him not to do that?
Biting hands, legs, and clothing is a completely normal behavior in a puppy this age - they use their mouths to explore the world, and this is how they instinctively want to play. This behavior will go away on its own as your puppy gets older, but there are a few things you can do to help in the meantime :) Make sure that your pup has a variety of different toys to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. He should also have lots of different things to chew on, such as bully sticks, large rawhide chews, cow or pig ears, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. If he bites your hands during play or your clothes when you are walking, just redirect him to one of his toys and use that to play with him instead. If you are petting him and he bites you, calmly stop petting and ignore him until he calms down. Most puppies are no l
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Any advice or tips on how to,teach your 9 week old puppies not to be play biting..I have tried,but failed i have tried "no biting","uh uh" and gave them chew toys instead,any help would be appreciated Thanks
It's normal for puppies this age to play bite - this is how they explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. Your pups will grow out of this on their own as they get older, so there's no need to punish them or try to "correct" this behavior - it's a normal developmental stage in puppies :)
Instead, focus on making sure that they have an appropriate outlet for their desire to bite and use their mouths. Make sure they have a variety of different toys available - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. They should also have plenty of things to chew on, such as bully sticks, rawhide chews, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter.
If you're playing with the pups and they bite you, just redirect them to one of their toys and use that to play with them instead. If they mouth your hands when you pet them, calmly stop petting and wait until they calm down. Their
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Why my 3 month old puppy bites aggresively on my pyjamas(lower) and sometimes on the legs. The whole day he remain calm but for sometime period he goes mad nd tries to bite anything that came infront of him. What should we do?
Hello, and thank you for your question. Puppies are teething around the ages of 3-6 months, which makes them interested in biting anything and everything at times! Ensure that he has appropriate, safe toys for him to chew on, such as rubber Kongs filled with treats or peanut butter, and rope toys. You can also try putting these toys in the freezer, which some puppies like as it helps soothe their irritated gums.
When Shadow tries to bite you, give a firm "ow" or "no". Never hit him or use any other form of physical punishment. Instead, offer him his chew toy to play with on his own. Walk away, cross your arms and legs and do not give him any further attention. If this does not work, you may need to find a toy that is more rewarding for him, such as putting something even more tasty into the toy.
The good news is that teething will finish by 6 months, so this should be a temporary behaviour. However, we want to teach Shadow what is appropriate to chew on, and what is not.
Here is an
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My puppy is 2 1/2 months old and weighs less than 2 lbs she is a sweetie but she nips at fingers and toes even tho she has lots of chew toys will she
This is very normal behavior for a puppy this age - all young puppies bite and mouth because this is how they explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. This behavior will go away on its own as she grows up, but in the meantime there are a few things you can do to help. Make sure that she has a variety of different toys to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. Providing lots of things to chew on will also help - things like bully sticks, cow or pig ears, rawhide chews, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. If you are playing with her and she bites you, just redirect her to one of her toys and use that to play with her instead. If she bites your hands when you pet her, calmly stop petting and wait for her to calm down. Be patient and consistent, just like you would with a human toddler - she will stop
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
We brought our 8 week old Brittany Archie home Saturday he was pretty calm no biting he has had lots of excercise and attention everyday but he is bitting and jumping like crazy and running mad every once in a while is this common ?
Sounds like Archie has a case of the puppy zoomies! Being mouthy, jumping, and having periods of just "running around like a maniac" are all very common for puppies. Looking into basic obedience about how to stop jumping up behavior and biting/chewing can help start Archie off on the right foot.
As puppies explore the world with their mouths much like toddlers do, there are a few things you can do to help turn this into a more positive behavior. The first is to yelp "ouch!" any time Archie gets a little too nibbly, and get up and walk away. He'll quickly learn that what he is doing hurts and doesn't get him any attention. You can also reward him by giving him lots of praise when you spot him chewing on an appropriate toy. If you catch him chewing something he shouldn't, replace it with the correct toy instead and give him praise if he continues to chew on it.
Looking into a basic puppy kindergarten can also help get both of you used to each other and establish some "house rules" in a
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 4 month old Shiba Inu chews a lot and not just her toys. Sometimes it is me. Is this just normal puppy behavior? Is there something I should do? I usually hold her to my chest and restrict her from biting and sometimes she will calm down. My
Chewing on lots of things, including human hands and clothing, is completely normal behavior for a puppy this age - this is how puppies explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. She will grow out of this behavior as she gets older, but there are some things you can do in the meantime that will help. Make sure that your pup has a variety of different toys to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. She should also have lots of different chews and long-lasting treats to chew on such as bully sticks, large rawhide chews, cow or pig ears, and puzzle toys like a Kong stuffed with peanut butter. You will need to keep your belongings put away out of her reach for now, just like you would with a toddler or small child. For furniture or other items that can't be put away, you can use Bitter Apple spray to make them taste bad, which
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
i've had my 4 month old pomeranian for about a month now, and i need help asap. she has started aggressively biting while playing and nipping at our feet while we walk. she growls at us when we tell her no and it's getting bad. i really don't want to
Biting and mouthing during play and at other times including when you pet her, when you are walking, etc. is completely normal behavior for a puppy this age - this is how puppies explore the world, and how they instinctively want to play. I do not recommend scolding her for this or telling her "no!", as this often makes dogs more frustrated and worked up, and tends to make the problem worse. Instead, redirect her to one of her toys and encourage her to bite the toy instead.
Make sure that she has a variety of different toys available to provide an appropriate outlet for this behavior - long floppy rope or fleece toys for tugging, plush toys for biting and carrying, and smaller toys or balls for chasing and fetching. She also needs lots of different things to chew on - bully sticks, rawhide chews, cow or pig ears, and puzzle toys such as a Kong stuffed with peanut butter are all good options you can try.
This behavior normally resolves on its own as puppies get older, so there is n
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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